Last Known WWII Nazi Living In U.S., Deported To Germany Last Year, Is Dead at 95

The United States stripped Jakiw Palij of his citizenship in 2003, but it was difficult finding a country to take him. He was never charged for his involvement in the Holocaust.

by Matthew S. SchwartzJan 11, 20193 minutes

A Nazi war criminal, living safely in the United States until his deportation to Germany last year, has died. He had been the last known World War II Nazi living in the U.S.

Jakiw Palij immigrated to America in 1949, claiming he had worked on his father's farm during World War II. But a Justice Department investigation, based on evidence compiled by a senior historian at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, served as an armed guard of in Poland. That's where Nazi SS troops were trained to kill Polish Jews.